ANDY Burnham’ first act as an MP could be speaking in a debate on reviewing “pro-Israel lobbying” in the UK politics, according to a campaigner.
Andy Kalil told The National that the upcoming debate on his petition – which has attracted 115,649 signatures – could be an opportunity for the potential future PM to set out his stall on foreign interference in UK politics.
The petition will be debated on Monday, June 22, four days after the Makerfield by-election, where Burnham is bidding for a return to Parliament. If elected, he is expected to launch a challenge against Keir Starmer’s leadership.
Kalil said: “If he gets in, Andy Burnham’s first act as an MP could be at the debate.
“In which case, he can respond in person to Jeremy Corbyn’s call for an independent inquiry into the UK Government’s complicity in the Gaza genocide.”
Corbyn is awaiting a reply from Burnham after writing to him on Thursday to ask whether he would back an official probe into Britain’s role in enabling Israel to commit genocide in Palestine.
The former Labour leader told The National: “Andy is absolutely right to be seeking a drastic change in direction from this Government. This must include a change of foreign policy – and a clean break from this Government’s shameful complicity in war crimes, genocide and apartheid.”
The petition will be debated despite attempts to block it by the Jewish Leadership Council. The pro-Israel lobbying group wrote to Jamie Stone, head of the Petitions Committee, to claim the petition was “defamatory, contains false or unproven statements, and draws upon conspiratorial tropes that are widely recognised as antisemitic”.
Stone said he did not take a view on the “merits” of the petition but said it was in line with other similar bids for reviews of Chinese or Russian meddling in UK politics.
The petition says: “We are concerned about reported Israeli state-linked and pro-Israel lobbying activity in UK politics. We believe it is important to determine the scope and impact of any such influence campaigns.
“We feel that the horrific devastation in Gaza, the ongoing suppression of Palestinians in the West Bank, and the UK’s political response underline the urgent need to scrutinise how pro-Israel organisations, networks, and lobbying efforts may shape government decisions, party policy, and public debate.”
Burnham was approached for comment.
